<h4>Chapter 170: An Act of Self-Sacrifice</h4>


    E felt a wave of frustration wash over her, thinking that men really could be as flirtatious, fickle, and lighthearted as the male lead in the movie.


    Hmph!


    She shook off Eric’s hand and stomped back into the cabin, her footsteps echoing her annoyance.


    Eric chuckled to himself. He hadn’t expected E to get upset over such a small thing. But this was what he considered normal behavior in a rtionship. Too much rationality and calmness could sometimes make a person seem like they weren’t fully invested. Only when a woman truly cares about a man would she get upset over a simple joke.


    This wasn’t pettiness—it was a sign that she cared deeply.


    Eric followed her back into the cabin, only to be surprised when he saw E sitting next to Rachel, both engrossed in their own games.


    Was this some kind of silent protest?


    Eric chuckled softly. This little spitfire was bing increasingly unpredictable, and he found it endearing.


    He walked over and bent down to kiss E gently on the cheek. "Are you mad?"


    His deep, maic voice sent a shiver down E’s spine, but she responded with a cold huff. "Mad? What does that even mean?"


    Eric couldn’t help but smile, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "Alright, don’t be mad. I was just teasing you."


    E, still annoyed, ignored him. At that moment, Richard suddenly emerged from the movie room, looking serious. "Eric,e outside. I need to talk to you about something."


    Noticing the concern on Richard’s face, Eric nodded and whispered in E’s ear, "I’ll be back soon. Be careful."


    With that, he followed Richard out, leaving E with a subtle smile. He was worried she might get into trouble, but how could someone as clever as she ever be outsmarted?


    Rachel then set down her phone and smiled broadly at E. "E, are you thirsty? How about I cut an apple for us to share?"


    She eagerly grabbed a knife and an apple from the fruit tray and handed them to E.


    E blinked, wondering what Rachel was up to this time.


    She smiled lightly, swiped a few times on her phone, and then set it aside. "Thanks," she said nonchntly, taking the knife and apple and beginning to peel it slowly.


    Rachel seemed a bit uneasy. She stood up, paced around, and nced outside at Richard and Eric’s retreating figures.


    Because of the noise from the moving boat, neither Rachel nor E could hear what the men were discussing.


    E nced at Rachel, who was wearing a tight, long white sweater, with her red coat discarded on the sofa. Her long legs were encased in ck skinny pants, and she wore bright yellow boots, giving her a youthful, vibrant look.


    Unfortunately for Rachel, Eric didn’t seem interested in her at all.


    E returned her attention to peeling the apple, staying calm and focused, while Rachel approached her.


    "E, I wanted to ask you something..." Rachel leaned in, attempting to whisper in E’s ear. But before she could say anything, E felt the knife in her hand hit something, and Rachel suddenly screamed.


    Rachel jumped back, staring at the back of her hand, blowing on it frantically.


    E watched her childish behavior with a mix of disgust and disbelief.


    But when she looked more closely, she saw that Rachel’s pale hand now had a thin, bleeding scratch, with blood slowly seeping out and forming droplets that fell to the floor.


    "Rachel, what are you screaming about now?" Richard walked in with a frown, followed closely by Eric. Rachel’s sudden scream had rmed them both, making them think something serious had happened.


    Seeing E still sitting calmly on the sofa, Eric felt a sense of relief. Despite her toughness, he knew that some people were hard to guard against.


    "I-I-I... I identally cut my hand!" Rachel stammered, casting a pitiful nce at Richard before grabbing some tissues from the table to press against her bleeding hand.


    Richard nced at the fruit knife in E’s hand and furrowed his brow. "The knife is in E’s hand—how did you manage to get yourself cut?"


    Eric cast a cold nce at Rachel before sitting down beside E, who was looking at Rachel with a mixture of exasperation and amusement.


    Eric’s lips curled into a slight smile. So, this little thing was dealing with quite a tricky opponent, huh?


    "I-I... I was just trying to talk to E, but somehow I ended up cutting my hand. I’m sure she didn’t do it on purpose!" Rachel exined softly, her eyes full of false innocence as she looked at E.


    What a perfect act of self-victimization!


    E let out a softugh. If this were someone like Brandon, a master of romantic deceit, he might have been fooled by Rachel’s performance.


    But Eric wasn’t Brandon.


    E turned to Eric. "Eric, what do you think? Did I cut Rachel?"


    She genuinely wanted to see how Eric would respond in this situation.


    But before Eric could say anything, Rachel hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no! E didn’t do it on purpose, please don’t me her!"


    Despite her words, tears began to roll down Rachel’s cheeks, each one more dramatic than thest. Her crying was so convincing it could easily earn her a Best Supporting Actress award.


    "I trust you, not outsiders," Eric said with a wicked smile, his perfect expression almost mesmerizing.


    Richard frowned, giving a displeased snort but refraining from giving an opinion. Rachel’s performance was so convincing that even he was momentarily unsure of what to believe. Though he generally didn’t care much for Rachel, seeing her injured did stir some sympathy in him.


    Rachel’s crying intensified. "Cousin, please don’t me E, she didn’t mean to hurt me. I was just... just trying to ask her something, and she might have been startled, causing her to identally move the knife."


    E chuckled inwardly. Rachel was ying the part of the innocent victim to perfection. If she were dealing with a less emotionally intelligent man, he might feelpelled to protect her.


    Rachel’s tear-filled eyes, long and flutteringshes dampened with tears, made her look particrly vulnerable and endearing.


    Her delicate face was a picture of distress, tinged with anxiety and hurt, as if she had suffered some great injustice.


    Yet, despite Rachel’s convincing act, her hand did indeed have a genuine cut, with blood still dripping steadily from the wound.


    Richard, being her cousin, couldn’t remain indifferent, even if they weren’t particrly close. Seeing her injured, his instinct was to help.


    At that moment, Amelia walked out, frowning as she took in the scene. Richard quickly fetched a first-aid kit. "No matter what happened, let’s get that wound taken care of first. E didn’t mean it, so don’t hold it against her."


    Richard spoke gently, while E kept her gaze on Rachel, who kept her head down. But in Rachel’s eyes, there was a brief sh of triumph that no one else seemed to notice.


    Even her usually indifferent cousin was starting to fall for her act!